Species Profile
Environmental Conservation Online System

Columbian White-Tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus leucurus)

Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae

Listing Status:    and  

General Information

White-tailed deer are generally distinguished from mule or black-tailed deer by their longer tail that is brown rather than black on the dorsal surface, a smaller metatarsal gland, and, in adult males, antlers with prongs arising from a single main beam. The Columbian white-tail is one of the large subspecies with "antlers narrowly spreading and curving steeply upward; upperparts dull in general tone, with grizzled pattern approaching Sayal Brown; top of head grizzled, the individual hairs near Mars Brown with buffy tips; tail varying from Cinnamon Buff to Tawny dorsally, terminating in a small, partially concealed, subterminal patch, and broadly fringed with white above and pure white to tip below; outer and more exposed surfaces of legs to base of hoofs near Sayal Brown." The Columbian white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus leucurus) is one of 38 recognized subspecies of O. virginianus.

Population detail

The FWS is currently monitoring the following populations of the Columbian White-Tailed deer 

  • Population location: Columbia River (Clark, Cowliz, Pacific, Skamania, and Wahkiakum Counties, WA., and Clatsop, Columbia, and Multnomah Counties, OR.)
    Listing status:  Endangered
    • States/US Territories in which this population is known to occur:  Oregon , Washington
    • USFWS Refuges in which this population is known to occur:  JULIA BUTLER HANSEN REFUGE FOR THE COLUMBIAN WHITE-TAILED DEER , LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
    • For more information:  http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/Species/Data/ColumbianWhiteTailedDeer/
  • Population location: Douglas County, Oregon
    Listing status:  Delisted Taxon-Recovered
Current Listing Status Summary
Status Date Listed Lead Region Where Listed
03/11/1967 Pacific Region (Region 1) Columbia River DPS
07/24/2003 Pacific Region (Region 1) Douglas County DPS

» Federal Register Documents

Most Recent Federal Register Documents (Showing 5 of 8 : view all)
Date Citation Page Title
07/26/2006 71 FR 42410 42411 Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan for the Douglas County Distinct Population Segment of the Columbian White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus leucurus)
11/23/2005 70 FR 70876 Draft Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan for the Douglas County Distinct Population Segment of the Columbian White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus leucurus)
07/24/2003 68 FR 43647 43659 Final Rule to Remove the Douglas County Distinct Population Segment of Columbian White-Tailed Deer From the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
06/21/2002 67 FR 42217 42229 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Supplemental Proposed Rule To Remove the Douglas County Population of Columbian White-Tailed Deer From the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Notice of a Public Hearing
12/29/1999 64 FR 72992 72993 ETWP; Reopening of the Comment Period on the Proposed Delisting of the Douglas County Population of the Columbian White-Tailed Deer

» Recovery

Recovery Plan Information Search
Current Recovery Plan(s)
Date Title Plan Action Status Plan Status
06/14/1983 Columbian White-tailed Deer Revised Recovery Plan View Implementation Progress Final Revision 1
Other Recovery Documents (Showing 5 of 6 : view all)
Date Citation Page Title Document Type
07/26/2006 71 FR 42410 42411 Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan for the Douglas County Distinct Population Segment of the Columbian White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus leucurus)
  • Notice Doc. Availability
    • 11/23/2005 70 FR 70876 Draft Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan for the Douglas County Distinct Population Segment of the Columbian White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus leucurus)
  • Notice Doc. Availability
    • 07/24/2003 68 FR 43647 43659 Final Rule to Remove the Douglas County Distinct Population Segment of Columbian White-Tailed Deer From the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
  • Final Delisting, Recovered
    • 06/21/2002 67 FR 42217 42229 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Supplemental Proposed Rule To Remove the Douglas County Population of Columbian White-Tailed Deer From the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Notice of a Public Hearing
  • Proposed Delisting
    • 05/11/1999 64 FR 25263 25269 Proposed Rule To Delist the Douglas County Population of Columbian White-Tailed Deer
  • Proposed Delisting, Recovered
    • Delisting Documents
    Date Title
    07/26/2006 CWTD Douglas Co DPS_PDM Plan

    » Critical Habitat

    No critical habitat rules have been published for the Columbian White-Tailed deer.

    » Conservation Plans

    Habitat Conservation Plans (HCP) (learn more) (Showing 1 of 1 )
    HCP Plan Summaries
    Washington Dept. Natural Resources Forest Lands HCP

    » Petitions

    No petition findings have been published for the Columbian White-Tailed deer.

    » Life History

    No Life History information has been entered into this system for this species.

    » Other Resources

    NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

    ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.

    Last updated: November 22, 2009